How to Perform Well in Public Speaking or Presentation

Many of us may have the talent for communication strategies in marketing, advertising and copywriting. On the other hand, in direct marketing or communication, it often takes more than talent to communicate in public, which we also know as public speaking or presentation.

It takes experience and practice to be able to speak well in the public or directly to people. However, it also takes courage and self-confidence plus some other strategies to perform well in public speaking or presentation. Let’s explore them.

At East Coast during sunny day with clear blue sky

Think about our Idea and Prepare It!

To speak smoothly in public, we must first know what we’re going to talk about. Think in details about the idea we want to present, do a good research about it and prepare good material to speak and present.

Maybe we have a great idea and thoughts that we want to share with people, but sometimes, because of lack of preparation, the idea goes to nothing and fails. So, think and prepare.

Practice Makes Perfect

Good preparation also needs good practice. We always hear, “practice in front of a mirror” as we can see our own facial expression when we talk. It’s true, but I think, practicing in front of other people will also be very helpful. We can ask our friends or families to listen to our presentation and give opinion about our performance. With the help of others’ opinions, we can do necessary improvement before the real presentation.

After good preparation and practice, there are things we need to pay attention when we speak during the presentation. What are they?

Be Confident and Smile

Remember always that confidence is the main key to a successful presentation. So keep our confidence up and never forget to smile to our audience. They’re humans and we’re humans as well. Therefore, don’t be afraid, talk confidently and know when to smile as sincere smile can change everything.

Sometimes, maybe we’re not in any mood to smile. However, when it’s in professional public speaking and presentation, we must learn how to smile sincerely even when we don’t want to. Be friendly, smile at the right moment and show sympathy when it’s needed.

Talk Clearly and Don’t Rush

We may feel the will to finish what we talk as soon as possible because we’re nervous. However, this is the wrong way because if we rush when we speak, maybe our audience will not get the clear idea about what we are telling them. Make sure that we are clear when we speak and never rush, as our mission is to make people understand and get the idea, not to finish the presentation quickly.

Keep Eye Contact with Audience

When we are nervous, of course it can be difficult to keep eye contact with people. Nevertheless, this is important to keep their attention so people know that we are talking to them. When people attend presentation, they want to make sure that the speaker is talking to them, not to the floor, the ceiling or to the paper. So, keep our eyes to our audience.

Understandably, even when we have learned the strategies, prepared and practiced well, our performance might not be as flawless as we wanted. However, keep ourselves motivated for the next; think that we’ve done our best for the moment and that we’ll keep improving. Just believe in ourselves and we’ll do even better in the future.